Around Augusta
When you're not off on a major
road trip, or even during the week, there are some fun things to do in
Augusta. You can see all of Augusta in a couple weekends, so I
recommend going on as many road trips as you can. Leave Augusta for
those weekends when you stay in class late on a Friday or if you're too
tired to get on the interstate.
Places to eat
I spent 18 weeks in Augusta, and I ate out almost every night. I would
try to eat at someplace new every evening, but it got to the point where it
was hard to find a new place to eat. This is by no means a
comprehensive list of places to eat. I have not included any national
chain restaurants such as Outback, Cracker Barrel, or Applebee's, because
you should know what those places have to offer (unless you grew up in a
cave). Most of the places I visited didn't have anything memorable to
offer, but here are the ones that stick out in my mind.
Adam's Pizza & Subs
1149 Broad Street
The Jamaican guy who runs this place sure cooks up a great tasting
pizza. If you're on Broad Street looking for a place to get late-night
eats, head over to Adam's for a pizza fresh out of the oven. It's a
tiny place, but you don't have to wait long and the pizza is a lot tastier
than the more popular Pizza Joint.
Boll Weevil
10 9th St
The Boll Weevil is located downtown and is a favorite of locals and tourists
alike. This restaurant is a nice place to go for a Southern style
dinner.
Carrabba's Italian Grill
2832 Washington Road
A decent Italian restaurant (what do you expect to find in the middle of
Georgia) along the lines of Macaroni Grill and Olive Garden. Odd
fact--they have 2 for 1 wine during Happy Hour.
Charley's Steakery
Fort Gordon PX
This steak sandwich shop makes delicious sandwiches. Every sandwich I
tried tasted great, and their fries (put some red wine vinegar on them) are
tasty as well. DO NOT expect much from the salads, though, they're
tasteless and quite ordinary.
El Valle Mexican Restaurant
3830 Washington Road
The Mexican restaurants in Augusta aren't great, but they hit the spot if
you're up for some Mexican food. They all have chips and salsa to whet
your appetite. Watch out for the menu items that say beef (as opposed
to steak). They're referring to ground beef which, as we all know, is
not a part of real Mexican cuisine.
King Buffet Chinese Restaurant
2064 Gordon Hwy
By no means does the King Buffet serve up gourmet Chinese food. It's a
buffet only place, so you know right off the bat that you're not going to
get the best quality meal. But if you're not picky about your Chinese
food (ie you don't make frequent trips to Hong Kong to eat Chinese food)
this is a great place to get a quick meal. The buffet is
all-you-can-eat, and the restaurant is located about 5 minutes from Fort
Gordon on Gordon Hwy.
Logan's Roadhouse
268 Robert C Daniel Jr. Pkwy
The best part about Logan's Roadhouse are the free peanuts and the fact that
you can throw the shells on the floor. Other than that, this is a
mediocre steakhouse with poor service.
Monterrey Mexican Restaurant
4352 Washington Road
Martinez, GA
This restaurant is out in Martinez, so it's a bit of a drive. The food
is decent, there's always a crowd, and they have giant Margaritas.
Bring a DD.
Pizza Joint
1245 Broad St
The Pizza Joint is a popular late-night pizza place in downtown Augusta.
However I don't see why everyone goes there, except for the fact that it's
fairly large. It's back up Broadstreet, so it's a little bit of a walk
from the bars. In addition, the pizza is subpar and the service is
nothing to write home about either. If you're looking for a good
late-night snack, I recommend going to Adam's instead. The only
good thing about the Pizza Joint is that you'll always find a
crowd.
Rhinehart's Oyster Bar
www.rhineharts.com
3051 Washington Road
If you like seafood (and relaxed settings) you HAVE TO
go to Rhinehart's. This place is rustic--the tables look like they've
been stolen from a park and there is plenty of writing on the walls.
If you go there in the summer, sit outside and enjoy the fresh air.
The seafood is excellent, and Rhinehart's has a special dish associated with
each day of the week. These specials are at a reduced price, so make
sure you order the special of the day. I highly recommend the crab
legs (Tuesday). These legs are crisp, fresh, and oh-so-tasty.
Teresa's Mexican
Restaurant
1648 Gordon Highway
There are also Teresa's on Boy Scout Road and one on Walton Way.
Teresa's is a cheap, quick service Mexican Restaurant. The Mexican
food is not great, but it certainly fills you up. Try the beers,
they're huge.
T-Bonz Steakhouse
There's a T-Bonz on Gordon Hwy and one on Washington Road. T-Bonz is a
decent steakhouse if you're in the mood for some steak (although I would
recommend going to Outback). The prices are on par with the rest and
the service is decent. Don't go to the
T-Bonz on Gordon Hwy. For some reason their steaks come out tasting
like cow manure.
These next two restaurants aren't special by any means. They feature some of the cheapest, greasiest food on the planet. But they are mentioned here because you will inevitably go to one (or both) of them if you are in Augusta.
Krystal
All over the place
Krystal features the mini-burger (White Castle burger to those who know it).
Order them by the sack.
Waffle House
Located on every street corner (or so it seems)
Waffle House is a low-budget version of Denny's (if that's possible).
If you are out in the middle of the night, and you have the munchies, head
to a waffle house. They're not hard to find.
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Augusta, believe it or not, features a bevy of Japanese Steakhouses.
Each steakhouse is similar, with many of the same menu items. If you
haven't been to one before, you should definitely try it out. The
chefs cook the food right in front of you and put on a show while they do
it. There will be food flying around and enough corny jokes to last
you a month. All of these restaurants are good, and you'll walk away
with a full stomach and a smile on your face. One warning
though--these restaurants are not what you're looking for if you want a
quick bite to eat. The dinner shows are fairly long and you have to
wait a while before the food gets on your plate.
Miyabi Kyoto Japanese Steak House
1315 Augusta West Pkwy
As far as Japanese Steak Houses go (and Augusta has a ton of them) this
place is King. All of them are good, but this place rises above the
rest in providing great chefs and great food.
Shogun Japanese Steakhouse
3043 Washington Road
Yet another Japanese Steakhouse. This one is smaller, and the lights
on the outside sign don't work very well. Even though this restaurant
is located in the heart of the Washington road strip, it's never full and is
a relative secret. The highlight of this place, however, is not the
steak/shrimp/chicken, but the sushi. If you like sushi, and you like
saving money, Shogun has by far the cheapest sushi in town. You can
gorge yourself on sushi (I also like to get a side order of hibachi fried
rice) for less than $15. There aren't many places that you can eat as
much sushi as your stomach can hold (and not go broke), but this is one of
them. Don't try one of the combination sushi platters. Order
individual rolls. They taste better and you definitely get your
money's worth.
Here are a few of the many other Japanese Restaurants in town. All
are good, but they didn't merit a repeat visit as the two restaurants above
did.
Mikoto of Kurama
Japanese Restaurant
http://yp.bellsouth.com/sites/mikotoofkurama/
3102 Washington Road
Kurama Japanese Steak & Seafood House
http://yp.bellsouth.com/sites/kurama/
2834 Washington Road
Sapporo Japanese Steakhouse
3025 Washington Road
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